In a move which will allow the Island club to provide a clearer pathway to professional football for their youth players, St Peter will benefit from regular visits by Gillingham FC academy coaches and they will now be able to give their older juniors the chance to train with the Kent side three to four times a year.
Formed: 1893
League: Sky Bet League One
Current league position: 14th
Major honours: League Two champions 2012/13.; League Two playoff winners 2008/09; Division 2 playoff winners 1999/00; Division 3 runners-up 1995/96; Division 4 champions 1963/64.
Pre-season testing with the English Football League team is also within the terms of the deal, and the Western club has also offered the use of their facilities should Gillingham’s senior, youth or development squads travel to the Island for training camps.
The news means that St Peter now have two partnerships with professional clubs in England, as coaches from Premiership side Everton are already familiar with St Peter’s Summer Soccer Camps.
‘This is a fantastic opportunity for our academy to benefit from the experience, knowledge and know-how of a high calibre professional coaching team and a well structured club,’ said St Peter Academy chairman Brian Foulser.
‘It will provide our young players with the opportunity to experience elite-player-performance and to understand the standard and commitment that they will need to make if they aspire to a professional career in football.
‘Our partnership with Gillingham provides our academy, including our coaching staff, with a benchmark for performance plus the guidance and means to raise our standards to the highest level.’
Darren Hare, head of Gillingham Academy, added: ‘Having worked with the St Peter Academy’s under-16 squad we were impressed with the standard. By working more closely with these players it gives us the opportunity to recruit players into our youth programme, and the link also provides us with the opportunity to take our own young players “abroad” to experience a tour environment.’
